Srinagar- National Conference (NC) leader Mubarak Gul was appointed as the pro-tem speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday. Gul, who represents the Eidgah constituency, will administer the oath to newly elected members of the Assembly on October 21, at 2:00 pm in Srinagar.

The appointment was formalized through a letter citing Section 24 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, and confirmed by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat in Srinagar. All members of the Assembly have been requested to attend the session to take their oaths.

The NC-Congress alliance secured a significant victory in the recent assembly elections, marking the first time polls were held in the region in ten years. The NC emerged as the largest party with 42 seats, forming a coalition with the Congress party which secured six seats. Omar Abdullah, leader of the NC, was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 29 seats, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) came in second with three. The People's Conference, CPI-M, and AAP secured one seat each, while Independents won seven. The results of the three-phased elections were declared on October 8, 2024.